Growing old disgracefully: 400 female pensioners make their voices heard

The American artist, Suzanne Lacy, gathered 400 female activists together at
the Tate Modern this weekend. They were all over 60 and in some way have
changed the world. Claire Cohen charts the rise of ‘Silver Action’
and the plan to get older women’s voices heard in the public arena.

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Silver Action at the Tate Modern - 400 female activists over the age of 60 convened this weekend.Photo: TATE

A queue of people snakes along the wall. There's a 'one in one out' policy on the door. And everywhere you turn, grey heads (with the odd streak of pink) are locked in enthusiastic embraces, rheumy eyes are twinkling, cups of tea are being sipped and peals of laughter ring out. Something very unusual is going on.

Welcome to Silver Action, a day of performance art conceived by American artist Suzanne Lacy. Under her guidance, more than 400 women over the age of sixty have come together at the Tate Modern, on London's South Bank, to engage in live and unscripted discussion.

Appearances can be deceiving. For these harmless-looking women - most of them grandmothers - are some of the country's foremost feminists and activists. The last time they gathered was during the battle to change the social landscape of Britain. From Greenham Common peace camp to the Miss World demonstrations, each has fought to make herself heard.

And today is no different.

Groups of four women are seated around bright yellow card tables, engaged in animated discussions on ageing, while members of the public walk between them, eavesdropping. Others have their stories projected onto the walls and everything is being recorded.

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Their voices are key to Lacy's vision. Silver Action (the original title of 'Grey Hair Action' was deemed too unsexy) has been designed to explore the invisibility of older women in the public arena.

"I wanted to frame the issue of ageing within activism," Lacy tells me. "It's not about looking at one picket line or one march, but to represent the idea that you can act. Your voice matters.

"In London especially, there is a readiness to explore such issues. And if we include these experienced women - who are now of the age where they are vulnerable to the distribution of public resources themselves - the discourse will be all the better for it.

"They were a unique generation and pushed through many of the things that make-up the quality of life we expect now; the things we take for granted."

Esther Rantzen, who recently launched confidential helpline The Silver Line for older people, agrees. "Having grown up alongside these women, I think it presents a real snapshot of the revolution that has happened in my lifetime. We owe a huge amount to them, from the victory against apartheid - to the proliferation of nursery schools."

With Silver Action, Lacy hopes to lead the way in a cultural shift of perspective. "It's a strategy of engagement," she explains. "I made the decision, a long time ago, to be an artist and not a political person. But I can bring together these participants to build a consensus. The fact that so many people were trying to listen to the activists' stories, shows that there's a desire to engage. It's a way of getting them to shake hands in a meaningful way."

At 67, Lacy has herself joined this throng of older women. She is shocked when I outline the recent online abuse suffered by Mary Beard and admits that "there is a deep-seated revulsion in the ageing female body."

Beard's is a name on the lips of many of today's participants. Silver Action is being live blogged and tweeted, so it's not surprising that some of the women feel nervous. One remarks that Beard is the perfect example of "what happens to an older woman who refuses to be invisible and sticks her head above the precipice."

Ann Rossiter isn't so sure. A vocal pro-choice campaigner - and now stand-up comedienne - she is infamous for speaking out about her own botched abortion in the early 1960s, before the 1967 Abortion Act.

"There's a lot of talk about the ageing population and dwindling resources. But we older women are often wheeled out as a resource ourselves. I don't mind though. You can use your age to your advantage, behave disgracefully and get your voice heard.

Rossiter admits that a number of the women present today were "iffy" about taking part and being singled out as something special; "feminism hates hierarchy and we've all got equally interesting stories to tell."

Most of the participants hope that a new generation of feminists will renew their struggles. But they warn that results can't be achieved through the internet alone.

"The virtual world is vital for making connections with like-minded people. But young women need to understand that you still have to put in the hard work," says Rossiter. "There's nothing like speaking to people face to face. You've got to bang your head against the wall and push committees to make any real change."

"It's so frustrating to talk to young women who think they are living in an equal world," says one participant. "If only there was a way to get young women to value themselves," laments another.

There's little talk of the patriarchy here today - Lacy thinks it's an outdated concept. However, issues such as celebrity ("young people are going to have to deconstruct shows like the X Factor on their own"); advertising ("I can't believe women's bodies are still being used to sell products") and pole dancing ("my niece says it's the only way she can feel more feminine") are up for debate.

Activists talking at the event

But these engaging, funny and wise women aren't ready to hand over the baton just yet. Many of them explain how the challenges of ageing have allowed some of their old doubts and vulnerability to creep back in. This has encouraged many of them to find a new cause in the quest to feel empowered again. They have been "reactivated."

"It's about learning," says history professor Sally Alexander, 69, who flour-bombed the1970 Miss World final at the Royal Albert Hall. "I've never been an intellectual and I'm not one now. But feminism was about learning something new back then and there's more to discover now."

That is Suzanne Lacy's real aim. Silver Action has been five months in the planning, but is only the start of a year long project - hosted by the South Bank Centre - on the topics of women and ageing. "I think we're going to see the start of a rich international conversation - particularly on the subject of violence against women," she predicts. "Women in India are now protesting against issues of rape. What's fantastic is that it occurs to women all over the world that they CAN protest now. Now that's progress."